Name: Chan Jong Moon
STATS:
2011 Season (Greeneville, Rookie League) 43 G, 160 PA, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 51 K, .207 BA, .302 OBP
2012 Season (Lexington, Class A; Lancaster, Class A+) 44 G, 171 PA, 20 R, 8 2B, 22 RBI, 6-9 SB,
.268 BA, .358 OBP
Introduction: This young infielder has made for himself quite a following here in Lexington without even trying. Cries of “MOOOOOOOON!” follow him on his every at-bat, and whenever he makes even a modestly difficult play in the field the case is invariably the same. I understand it is the custom in Korea to refer to a man by his last name (i.e. Moon Chan Jong), so there's a little something you might not have known :) Shy and quiet but always very polite and smiling, he was a real pleasure to watch on the diamond as well as to meet in person.
Batting: Moon has a
somewhat wider-than-shoulder-width stance, keeping his weight back
slightly and his hands high. There's a slight crouch and he is
footwork is sure. There is a little twirl-type movement in his
bat, but nothing excessive. In some ways, his stance is very
similar to that of OF Jordan Scott (for those of you who've seen him
play). He does drop his hands back as well as shifting his weight
back slightly more before his swing (a timing mechanism), and lets
fly with what appears to be a pretty big swing, but the whole thing
looks very well-controlled. It's not a wild or blind swing, at all,
but all of this together sometimes contributes to it being a long
swing. This swing appears slightly slower and longer from the left
side, but I would expect the team to work with him to increase his
contact percentage from the left side as he gets out of the box so
quickly and this will help to maximize his quickness and produce more
infield hits. He keeps his head in well, covers the whole plate
easily and has a very level swing. The biggest problem I see is that
he could stand to shorten up a bit more on 2-strike counts and
perhaps choke up a hair for more bat head control. Being able to improve in that regard would make him perfect as a #8 or even #2 hitter. Other than that,
it's a pretty textbook swing. He has what some aficionados of Asian
baseball would call an Asian-style swing, and that's a good thing;
hitters in many leagues in the Pacific Rim and Mainland Asian
countries are taught to think “contact first”, and that's the
approach you see when Moon is at the plate. On his follow-through, he
can really twist himself into a corkscrew when he misses. This lends
itself to the impression that he's swinging for the fences, but I
don't see it. He's deft with a bunt, and can become a good
push-bunter with time. He's already comfortable with it, and that
will only improve with time. He gets out of the box quickly, but
shortening his follow-through could definitely help him in that
regard. I think he could stand to gain more upper-body and core
strength, but the flexibility and reflexes are already there in
abundance. He's not ever going to be much on power, but he'll make
consistent contact and throw in a handful of extra-base hits and
steals, and that ain't bad.
Fielding: Moon is, in
my estimation, already a plus fielder. He gets everything in range
and makes some plays on the other side of second, as well. He has
soft hands, fluid mechanics getting to and fielding the ball, and a
sure arm. The arm strength is there for short, but as he will
probably play a bit more third in the future I'd say he'd probably be
only fringe-average for that position, arm-wise. Moon is the kind of
gloveman you could put at short, second or third and expect at least
average or better results, overall. I've never seen him at first, but
somehow I don't think that would take him long to get used to. At
short, he's already a spark-plug kind of fielder, making all the sure
plays and diving for every ball he thinks he has even a small chance
of reaching. He stands in well against a sliding base-runner and
throws well on the DP, though he could stand to get a little more
force behind his throws in these situations. He starts the double
play quickly and confidently, and keeps his head when he has to make
his own call on where to throw (multiple base-runners, late-inning
situations). Don't be surprised to see him emerge from a cloud of
dust with a ball you didn't expect to see. Some of the best plays
I've seen in the IF this year were plays Moon was directly involved
in, and I expect that will be the case at whatever level he finds
himself. If I were a major league owner, I'd be comfortable with his
glove in my lineup, right now. That's how much faith I have in this
kid. Of course, there's the aforementioned arm strength that I'd like
to see improve, but otherwise he's not going to have much trouble
defensively while climbing the ladder.
Baserunning: Moon seems
to be a smart but conservative base-runner, who can steal the odd
base for you but usually isn't called upon to do so. He seems to rely
more on base-running smarts than pure speed. Mind you, he's no
base-jammer, but he's certainly not a dyed-in-the-wool base-stealer,
either. He thus far appears to have at least average speed, and
things progressing as they should might steal 10 or 12 for you in the
ML, but will probably be given the green light in low-risk
situations. Even so, he doesn't hurt himself or the team on the
bases. He can take the extra base if necessary but won't likely be
asked to do so unless (again) it's a low-risk situation. The
base-running instincts, to me, are definitely above-average for his
age, and will only get better as time goes by. Moon thinks out there;
he doesn't do anything recklessly. He's confident in advancing in
passed ball/wild pitch situations, and won't often make a bad call
there. He will sometimes surprise you with his selective
aggressiveness, which only helps his cause.
Intangibles: For being
such a shy kid when you meet him face-to-face (at times), Moon is
actually known for being a bit of a jokester in the clubhouse. He is
often seen making his teammates laugh and he seems to keep things
loose in the dugout, as well. He's not undisciplined by any stretch,
but he knows that he's getting paid to play a kid's game, and he's
very aware of how fortunate he happens to be. He truly seems to enjoy
the game and all aspects of it; he just seems so happy to be here, as
cliché as it may sound. It's refreshing to see players at this level
who aren't overcome by the pressure of having to perform and moving
up the chain, and Moon is one of those players. He communicates well
in the field with his keystone compatriot, and is always aware of
where he is and the game situation involved. He is always ready for
the cut-off throw, and he knows exactly where to go with it when it
comes. His baseball IQ is definitely high. He will, at times, let a
bad play get to him a bit, though this isn't overly obvious. He is,
however, usually quick to bounce back, and doesn't often let a bad
play in the field affect him when he comes to bat. He's the kind of
player who will be well-liked in the clubhouse wherever he goes, and
should fit into most any collection of teammates. That can only help
him as he advances ever closer to Houston.
Overall: I like most
everything I see in this kid. There are some things I'd like to see
improve (upper-body/core strength, shorter swing especially from the
left side, don't get discouraged too easily, greater confidence), but
these are all things that should come with time. At bat, he's going
to be a prototypical middle infielder (no power, plus-average
contact), but with the glove he could well carry himself into, at the
least, a utility infield spot with starts two to three times a week,
and that's not so bad is it? Kind of an Adam Kennedy-type with a bit
less pop and perhaps a better glove. A smart ownership will want him
on their club for reasons that extend beyond his play on the field,
because his clubhouse presence is a plus, too. With a little more
confidence, you've got a switch-hitting, versatile gloveman, plus he
could be a leader both on and off the field, and in ways that you
won't read about in the box score. Put the whole package together,
and you've got yourself a kid who's gonna make it. I can't wait to
see how far he goes.
Bats: Both Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 160 lb.
DOB: March 23, 1991 in Seoul, KR (Age 21)
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 160 lb.
DOB: March 23, 1991 in Seoul, KR (Age 21)
Drafted: Signed by the
Houston Astros as a minor-league free agent 9/25/2009 for $350,000
STATS:
2011 Season (Greeneville, Rookie League) 43 G, 160 PA, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 51 K, .207 BA, .302 OBP
2012 Season (Lexington, Class A; Lancaster, Class A+) 44 G, 171 PA, 20 R, 8 2B, 22 RBI, 6-9 SB,
.268 BA, .358 OBP
Introduction: This young infielder has made for himself quite a following here in Lexington without even trying. Cries of “MOOOOOOOON!” follow him on his every at-bat, and whenever he makes even a modestly difficult play in the field the case is invariably the same. I understand it is the custom in Korea to refer to a man by his last name (i.e. Moon Chan Jong), so there's a little something you might not have known :) Shy and quiet but always very polite and smiling, he was a real pleasure to watch on the diamond as well as to meet in person.
Batting: Moon has a
somewhat wider-than-shoulder-width stance, keeping his weight back
slightly and his hands high. There's a slight crouch and he is
footwork is sure. There is a little twirl-type movement in his
bat, but nothing excessive. In some ways, his stance is very
similar to that of OF Jordan Scott (for those of you who've seen him
play). He does drop his hands back as well as shifting his weight
back slightly more before his swing (a timing mechanism), and lets
fly with what appears to be a pretty big swing, but the whole thing
looks very well-controlled. It's not a wild or blind swing, at all,
but all of this together sometimes contributes to it being a long
swing. This swing appears slightly slower and longer from the left
side, but I would expect the team to work with him to increase his
contact percentage from the left side as he gets out of the box so
quickly and this will help to maximize his quickness and produce more
infield hits. He keeps his head in well, covers the whole plate
easily and has a very level swing. The biggest problem I see is that
he could stand to shorten up a bit more on 2-strike counts and
perhaps choke up a hair for more bat head control. Being able to improve in that regard would make him perfect as a #8 or even #2 hitter. Other than that,
it's a pretty textbook swing. He has what some aficionados of Asian
baseball would call an Asian-style swing, and that's a good thing;
hitters in many leagues in the Pacific Rim and Mainland Asian
countries are taught to think “contact first”, and that's the
approach you see when Moon is at the plate. On his follow-through, he
can really twist himself into a corkscrew when he misses. This lends
itself to the impression that he's swinging for the fences, but I
don't see it. He's deft with a bunt, and can become a good
push-bunter with time. He's already comfortable with it, and that
will only improve with time. He gets out of the box quickly, but
shortening his follow-through could definitely help him in that
regard. I think he could stand to gain more upper-body and core
strength, but the flexibility and reflexes are already there in
abundance. He's not ever going to be much on power, but he'll make
consistent contact and throw in a handful of extra-base hits and
steals, and that ain't bad.
 |
| An excellent play leaves 2B Delino Deshields Jr stunned |
Fielding: Moon is, in
my estimation, already a plus fielder. He gets everything in range
and makes some plays on the other side of second, as well. He has
soft hands, fluid mechanics getting to and fielding the ball, and a
sure arm. The arm strength is there for short, but as he will
probably play a bit more third in the future I'd say he'd probably be
only fringe-average for that position, arm-wise. Moon is the kind of
gloveman you could put at short, second or third and expect at least
average or better results, overall. I've never seen him at first, but
somehow I don't think that would take him long to get used to. At
short, he's already a spark-plug kind of fielder, making all the sure
plays and diving for every ball he thinks he has even a small chance
of reaching. He stands in well against a sliding base-runner and
throws well on the DP, though he could stand to get a little more
force behind his throws in these situations. He starts the double
play quickly and confidently, and keeps his head when he has to make
his own call on where to throw (multiple base-runners, late-inning
situations). Don't be surprised to see him emerge from a cloud of
dust with a ball you didn't expect to see. Some of the best plays
I've seen in the IF this year were plays Moon was directly involved
in, and I expect that will be the case at whatever level he finds
himself. If I were a major league owner, I'd be comfortable with his
glove in my lineup, right now. That's how much faith I have in this
kid. Of course, there's the aforementioned arm strength that I'd like
to see improve, but otherwise he's not going to have much trouble
defensively while climbing the ladder.
 |
| Looking on |
 |
| Cracking up OF Justin Gominsky |
 |
| A little glove love from righty Jonas Dufek |
